This is rare. I'm not attacking the Wildcat for not publishing one of my letters, reason being that I submitted two really near each other before they had the chance to publish the first, but they did publish the second, and the first is on the assault-weapons ban expiration which has plenty of supporters in the Mailbag today. So here it goes.

Mike Padilla's editorial cartoon of 14 SEP, while well-intentioned, falls short at examining the issues behind the recently-expired assault-weapons ban.

First, the stereotype does not accurately depict the typical American outdoorsman. Having such a character in a new comic entitled "Vern's Saloon" would be incredibly funny (all that was forgotten was a can of Coors Light), but using it to make a political statement only leads to a logical fallacy.

Moreover, the argument falls when one considers how difficult hunting deer would be with an "assault weapon," as the expired ban in no way affects deer-hunting rifles. The rounds fired from such weapons as AK-47's (7.62x39) and the UZI (9mm) still don't compare with that of the typical .30 caliber deer rifle. Moreover, deer are notorious for being able to detect threats, making the philosophy of "one shot, one kill" much more important. No semi-automatic weapon will ever serve such a purpose.

I'm not going to attack Mr. Padilla's character for the stereotype, as he is well-intentioned. However, the logic of drunk NASCAR fans pumping deer with lead from semi-automatic weapons falls short.

Today's edition also features Laura's latest. If you ever thought LBJ's "War on Poverty" was ineffective, just wait until you hear what Chirac and Ignacio have up their sleeves. (At least for Chirac, it's not deodorant. ;-) )